The programs don't care that you can find the area of the shaded portion of a circle. They do care if you can demonstrate that you can take a relatively simple, small body of working knowledge and correctly apply it while thinking quickly on your feet under pressure.
The body of knowledge that an anesthetist has to learn is MASSIVE. I'm starting to realize that it's impossible to memorize all the facts and details that you're presented, but it is essential to think critically on your feet.
Let me give you an example:
Last quarter, for a single class that was given over a 12 week time period, we were given 72 powerpoint lectures. Is it possible to own every last detail contained in those 72 powerpoints? Perhaps. But is it possible to own every last detail in those 72 powerpoints while balancing your effort in 5 other equally rigorous classes, a lab, a mock OR and clinical rotations 2 mornings (12 hrs) per week? Quite unlikely.
I've realized that the goal of anesthesia school is NOT to turn you into a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and knee-jerk-fact-recall. That's what iphones are for. It is to CONDITION you into an efficient mind that can pour over a large body of knowledge very quickly and correctly apply it soon after. There's a reason you call the job line the night before you show up to the OR; if you find out you're doing a cysto w/ TURP and you haven't done one in a few weeks, you pour over all the info you can get your hands on until you feel comfortable enough that you won't miss the early signs of TURP syndrome and perhaps errantly kill someone when the time comes. Now, that's a basic procedure and any anesthetist worth his salt won't let that happen, but the point persists.
That's why the GRE/MCAT is important. Because if you can do well on those tests, the AA programs have a sense that you might have what it takes to be able to be a competent anesthetist. Not a great anesthetist. A competent anesthetist.
Now, at this stage in your application cycle, if you have significantly more free time now that one in anesthesia school does, and you still cannot do marginally well on the GRE with your abundant time and resources, what makes you think you will survive anesthesia school, let alone thrive? What makes you think you'll be able to provide even a basic anesthetic? Is that the type of person you would want putting your mother/brother/son to sleep for surgery?
I don't mean to discourage anyone from applying to anesthesia school. The opposite is true. The more people that become interested, the more the profession can grow. I do suggest that for certain applicants, instead of blaming outside entities (the GRE, admission's departments, other applicants, etc.) for the struggle, you should take an objective look at where you stand, and earnestly assess whether or not you are ready of handling the responsibility that comes with providing anesthesia.
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